Making Mondays Marvelous

In past blogs, I have written about eating pizza, "gourmet living" and many ideas that are designed to improve the operations, culture and productivity of your sales team, as well as the sales manager's. 

As I sat in the airport on a recent Monday morning on my way to New York City to speak at an event, it occurred to me that those first two or three hours on Monday are critical to setting the tone for the week. However, as a sales leader, you need to be prepared before that alarm goes off on Monday.

On Sunday afternoon, I printed my boarding passes. That evening I packed a bag, packed up my computer and business folders, and placed them in my car along with my overcoat. I also set aside my clothing for Monday and, after packing a few last items, I was on my way. A short 30-minute drive later, and I was easily in the airport and through screening. 

That organization kept my week from starting on a negative note. It made it easy for me to focus on the work for the week, and gave me time to prepare without being rushed. So the question is, are you and each of your salespeople prepared for the week?

A while ago, I wrote a blog titled "Sunday Night Sales Management." While I don't really suggest you call each of your salespeople every Sunday night as my first sales manager used to do (see blog for details), you can set the tone several other ways:

• Start on Friday afternoon. Depending on the maturity level of your sales team, many organizations hold their Monday morning sales meetings on Friday afternoons. Everyone can discuss the past week and review their plans for the coming week. This will reinforce the need for activity and planning, and on Monday everyone is ready to go. You might take the time to simply review everyone's schedule for the coming week with a brief one-on-one also.
  
  
• Start over the weekend. Take a few minutes to simply review each salesperson's planned activity and key prospect activity. By sending a few e-mails to each of your salespeople over the weekend, they will realize they will need to be prepared for Monday and the following week. Inspect what you expect!
  
  
• Start on Monday morning. If you have a Monday morning sales meeting, be prepared. Have your information ready, make the meeting worthwhile and positive, and set the tone for your desired culture. Be organized. If you would like a copy of my "Sales Manager's Sales Meeting Agenda," contact me at [email protected].

The rest of the morning be active, upbeat and accessible; don't lock yourself up in other management meetings or be out of the office. Get everyone feeling revved up and help them find the rhythm.

Posted by Ken Thoreson on October 31, 2011